Legal Metadata for Semantic Web Applications: Case Creative Commons

Abstract. Sharing of documents on the networks and information retrieval rely on metadata. Making creative works searchable is not the only use for metadata. Legal metadata contributes in lowering content distribution transaction costs but the use of legal metadata leaves several legal issues unaddressed. Creative Commons, an open content licensing system with its flexible copyright licenses has demonstrated the potentialities of legal metadata to encourage access and creativity. Creative Commons still faces challenges and it needs complementary applications and policy changes in order to ensure users ’ legal security